2004-02-13 Gan [recital program]

The UNCG School of Music has been recognized for years as one of the elite
music institutions in the United States. Fully accredited by the National
Association of Schools of Music since 1938, the School offers the only
comprehensive music program from undergraduate through doctoral study in
both performance and music education in North Carolina. From a total
population of approximately 14,000 university students, the UNCG School of
Music serves nearly 600 music majors with a full-time faculty and staff of more
than sixty. As such, the UNCG School of Music ranks among the largest
Schools of Music in the South.
The UNCG School of Music now occupies a new 26 million dollar music building
which is among the finest music facilities in the nation. In fact, the new music
building is the second-largest academic building on the UNCG Campus. A large
music library with state-of-the-art playback, study and research facilities houses
all music reference materials. Greatly expanded classroom, studio, practice
room, and rehearsal hall spaces are key components of the new structure. Two
new recital halls, a large computer lab, a psychoacoustics lab, electronic music
labs, and recording studio space are additional features of the new facility. In
addition, an enclosed multi-level parking deck is adjacent to the new music
building to serve students, faculty and concert patrons.
Living in the artistically thriving Greensboro—Winston-Salem—High Point “Triad”
area, students enjoy regular opportunities to attend and perform in concerts
sponsored by such organizations as the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, the
Greensboro Opera Company, and the Eastern Music Festival. In addition,
UNCG students interact first-hand with some of the world’s major artists who
frequently schedule informal discussions, open rehearsals, and master classes
at UNCG.
Costs of attending public universities in North Carolina, both for in-state and out-of-
state students, represent a truly exceptional value in higher education.
For information regarding music as a major or minor field of study, please write:
Dr. John J. Deal, Dean
UNCG School of Music
P.O. Box 26167
Greensboro, North Carolina 27402-6167
(336) 334-5789
On the Web: www.uncg.edu/mus/
Chenny Gan
piano
Graduate Recital
Friday, February 13, 2004
5:30 pm
Recital Hall, School of Music
Program
15 Variations and Fugue (“Eroica Variations”), Op. 35 Ludwig van Beethoven
(1770-1827)
13 Preludes, Op. 28 Frédéric Chopin
No. 1 in C Major — No. 23 in F Major (1810-1849)
No. 21 in B-flat Major — No. 8 in F-sharp minor
No.9 in E Major — No. 10 in C-sharp minor
No. 13 in F-sharp Major — No. 16 in B-flat minor
No. 19 in E-flat Major
No. 3 in G Major — No. 4 in E minor
No. 7 in A Major — No. 24 in D minor
Intermission
Two Etudes from Book I György Ligeti
Arc-en-ciel (b. 1923)
Fanfares
Two Paganini Etudes Franz Liszt
No. 2 in E-flat Major (1811-1886)
No. 6 in A minor
In partial fulfillment of the degree requirements for the
Master of Music in Performance
_____
The hall is equipped with a listening assistance system.
Patrons needing such assistance should contact an usher in the lobby.
If I could give this recital a name, I would call it “The Art of the Miniature.” Indeed, the program is
comprised exclusively of small forms: Preludes, Etudes, and Variations. In several cases the
genre boundaries become quite blurred and are merely a formality, as in the E-flat Liszt etude
composed in variation form and the several Chopin preludes requiring etude-like dexterity (the B-flat
minor and E-flat immediately come to mind). Similarly, Ligeti’s shimmering Arc-en-ciel
possesses relatively little flavor of a “study” and seems to have more ties to, say, a Debussy
prelude. In choosing such a program, I hope that the poetry and color of small forms will
combine to create a full palette of expressive and creative explorations.
Beethoven’s “Eroica” Variations were composed in the prolific year of 1802 (the Second
Symphony, Op. 30 violin sonatas and Op. 31 piano sonatas date from the same period). The
variations derive their nickname from his later Third Symphony (Op. 55), where the theme is
reused in the Finale. Though Beethoven had composed handfuls of variations prior to this
(mainly ornamental affairs based on familiar pop tunes of the day), Op. 35 (along the with Op. 34
variations in F) distinguishes itself from its precedents with an original theme by Beethoven
himself as well as new investigations into variation technique to include fugues, chaconnes, and
harmonic variation. Also interesting is how the opening quasi-theme unfolds into four parts
before the "actual" theme appears, leading the listener to wonder if what they heard previously
was a true theme or merely a harmonic bass line.
Today's pianists generally pay homage to the monumentality of Chopin’s twenty-four Preludes
(Op. 28) by performing the entire set in order as an organic cycle, arguing that adjoining preludes
often have thematic or motivic ties to its neighbor in addition to the orderly pattern of key
relationships (circle of fifths with the relative minor inserted between each major key). In the
early nineteenth century, Chopin's own performance practice included only a sprinkle of preludes
at a time mingled with other small works such as waltzes and mazurkas. For this recital, I
wanted to find a new performance order based on the concept that the inherent links between
one prelude and the next do not merely exist along linear dimensions. Rather each prelude links
to more than one of the others like the many strands of a web, whereby motivic and aesthetic
relationships between preludes may be found in multiple combinations. For this program I have
chosen six pairs plus one, with the preludes in each pair serving as aesthetic foils to each other
while maintaining sound key relationships within the entire set.
The Hungarian composer György Ligeti published his first book of piano etudes in 1985,
stimulated by the decade’s cornucopia of new scientific and mathematical discoveries. He was
fascinated with computer-generated images of fractals as a “self-similar” structure, and he
applied the same monomaniacal tendency towards his piano etudes. Often filled with Central
African-inspired cross-rhythms involving prime numbers, Ligeti refers to the asymmetrical
accents that occur in his music as “supersignals” that project a holographic image above the
other sounds. Although a pianist, Ligeti did not compose the etudes for himself to play and
admits that “the initial impulse was, above all, my own inadequate technique…I would love to be
a fabulous pianist!” Arc-en-ciel (Rainbow) draws from the jazz vocabulary of harmonists like
Thelonious Monk and Bill Evans. In contrast, Fanfares is reminiscent of Bartok’s Sixth Dance in
Bulgarian Rhythm from Mikrokosmos (in fact, the etude was titled Bartoque in a sketch) and
demonstrates the typically obsessive quality of Ligeti with an incessant 3+2+3 ostinato repeated
no less than 208 times.
Unlike Ligeti, fellow countryman Franz Liszt wrote the Etudes d’exécution transcendante d’apres
Paganini (dedicated to Clara Schumann) for his own use in 1838. By transcribing the violin
virtuoso’s themes and brilliance to the piano, Liszt also succeeded in imitating the technical
problems that would be encountered by the violinist into similar difficulties for the pianist (such as
shifting from fast passagework immediately into chordal figures). Thirteen years later, Liszt
revised and simplified the original etudes into the version performed tonight (a similar
transformation took place from the Vingt-quatre grande etudes to the Etudes d’exécution
transcendante). In the later editions, Liszt tailored the etudes to produce greater clarity on the
modern piano while retaining their virtuosic character.
— Chenny Gan
Chenny Gan
piano
Graduate Recital
Friday, February 13, 2004
5:30 pm
Recital Hall, School of Music
Program
15 Variations and Fugue (“Eroica Variations”), Op. 35 Ludwig van Beethoven
(1770-1827)
13 Preludes, Op. 28 Frédéric Chopin
No. 1 in C Major — No. 23 in F Major (1810-1849)
No. 21 in B-flat Major — No. 8 in F-sharp minor
No.9 in E Major — No. 10 in C-sharp minor
No. 13 in F-sharp Major — No. 16 in B-flat minor
No. 19 in E-flat Major
No. 3 in G Major — No. 4 in E minor
No. 7 in A Major — No. 24 in D minor
Intermission
Two Etudes from Book I György Ligeti
Arc-en-ciel (b. 1923)
Fanfares
Two Paganini Etudes Franz Liszt
No. 2 in E-flat Major (1811-1886)
No. 6 in A minor
In partial fulfillment of the degree requirements for the
Master of Music in Performance
_____
The hall is equipped with a listening assistance system.
Patrons needing such assistance should contact an usher in the lobby.

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The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, University Libraries, PO Box 26170, Greensboro NC 27402-6170, 336.334.5304

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The UNCG School of Music has been recognized for years as one of the elite
music institutions in the United States. Fully accredited by the National
Association of Schools of Music since 1938, the School offers the only
comprehensive music program from undergraduate through doctoral study in
both performance and music education in North Carolina. From a total
population of approximately 14,000 university students, the UNCG School of
Music serves nearly 600 music majors with a full-time faculty and staff of more
than sixty. As such, the UNCG School of Music ranks among the largest
Schools of Music in the South.
The UNCG School of Music now occupies a new 26 million dollar music building
which is among the finest music facilities in the nation. In fact, the new music
building is the second-largest academic building on the UNCG Campus. A large
music library with state-of-the-art playback, study and research facilities houses
all music reference materials. Greatly expanded classroom, studio, practice
room, and rehearsal hall spaces are key components of the new structure. Two
new recital halls, a large computer lab, a psychoacoustics lab, electronic music
labs, and recording studio space are additional features of the new facility. In
addition, an enclosed multi-level parking deck is adjacent to the new music
building to serve students, faculty and concert patrons.
Living in the artistically thriving Greensboro—Winston-Salem—High Point “Triad”
area, students enjoy regular opportunities to attend and perform in concerts
sponsored by such organizations as the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, the
Greensboro Opera Company, and the Eastern Music Festival. In addition,
UNCG students interact first-hand with some of the world’s major artists who
frequently schedule informal discussions, open rehearsals, and master classes
at UNCG.
Costs of attending public universities in North Carolina, both for in-state and out-of-
state students, represent a truly exceptional value in higher education.
For information regarding music as a major or minor field of study, please write:
Dr. John J. Deal, Dean
UNCG School of Music
P.O. Box 26167
Greensboro, North Carolina 27402-6167
(336) 334-5789
On the Web: www.uncg.edu/mus/
Chenny Gan
piano
Graduate Recital
Friday, February 13, 2004
5:30 pm
Recital Hall, School of Music
Program
15 Variations and Fugue (“Eroica Variations”), Op. 35 Ludwig van Beethoven
(1770-1827)
13 Preludes, Op. 28 Frédéric Chopin
No. 1 in C Major — No. 23 in F Major (1810-1849)
No. 21 in B-flat Major — No. 8 in F-sharp minor
No.9 in E Major — No. 10 in C-sharp minor
No. 13 in F-sharp Major — No. 16 in B-flat minor
No. 19 in E-flat Major
No. 3 in G Major — No. 4 in E minor
No. 7 in A Major — No. 24 in D minor
Intermission
Two Etudes from Book I György Ligeti
Arc-en-ciel (b. 1923)
Fanfares
Two Paganini Etudes Franz Liszt
No. 2 in E-flat Major (1811-1886)
No. 6 in A minor
In partial fulfillment of the degree requirements for the
Master of Music in Performance
_____
The hall is equipped with a listening assistance system.
Patrons needing such assistance should contact an usher in the lobby.
If I could give this recital a name, I would call it “The Art of the Miniature.” Indeed, the program is
comprised exclusively of small forms: Preludes, Etudes, and Variations. In several cases the
genre boundaries become quite blurred and are merely a formality, as in the E-flat Liszt etude
composed in variation form and the several Chopin preludes requiring etude-like dexterity (the B-flat
minor and E-flat immediately come to mind). Similarly, Ligeti’s shimmering Arc-en-ciel
possesses relatively little flavor of a “study” and seems to have more ties to, say, a Debussy
prelude. In choosing such a program, I hope that the poetry and color of small forms will
combine to create a full palette of expressive and creative explorations.
Beethoven’s “Eroica” Variations were composed in the prolific year of 1802 (the Second
Symphony, Op. 30 violin sonatas and Op. 31 piano sonatas date from the same period). The
variations derive their nickname from his later Third Symphony (Op. 55), where the theme is
reused in the Finale. Though Beethoven had composed handfuls of variations prior to this
(mainly ornamental affairs based on familiar pop tunes of the day), Op. 35 (along the with Op. 34
variations in F) distinguishes itself from its precedents with an original theme by Beethoven
himself as well as new investigations into variation technique to include fugues, chaconnes, and
harmonic variation. Also interesting is how the opening quasi-theme unfolds into four parts
before the "actual" theme appears, leading the listener to wonder if what they heard previously
was a true theme or merely a harmonic bass line.
Today's pianists generally pay homage to the monumentality of Chopin’s twenty-four Preludes
(Op. 28) by performing the entire set in order as an organic cycle, arguing that adjoining preludes
often have thematic or motivic ties to its neighbor in addition to the orderly pattern of key
relationships (circle of fifths with the relative minor inserted between each major key). In the
early nineteenth century, Chopin's own performance practice included only a sprinkle of preludes
at a time mingled with other small works such as waltzes and mazurkas. For this recital, I
wanted to find a new performance order based on the concept that the inherent links between
one prelude and the next do not merely exist along linear dimensions. Rather each prelude links
to more than one of the others like the many strands of a web, whereby motivic and aesthetic
relationships between preludes may be found in multiple combinations. For this program I have
chosen six pairs plus one, with the preludes in each pair serving as aesthetic foils to each other
while maintaining sound key relationships within the entire set.
The Hungarian composer György Ligeti published his first book of piano etudes in 1985,
stimulated by the decade’s cornucopia of new scientific and mathematical discoveries. He was
fascinated with computer-generated images of fractals as a “self-similar” structure, and he
applied the same monomaniacal tendency towards his piano etudes. Often filled with Central
African-inspired cross-rhythms involving prime numbers, Ligeti refers to the asymmetrical
accents that occur in his music as “supersignals” that project a holographic image above the
other sounds. Although a pianist, Ligeti did not compose the etudes for himself to play and
admits that “the initial impulse was, above all, my own inadequate technique…I would love to be
a fabulous pianist!” Arc-en-ciel (Rainbow) draws from the jazz vocabulary of harmonists like
Thelonious Monk and Bill Evans. In contrast, Fanfares is reminiscent of Bartok’s Sixth Dance in
Bulgarian Rhythm from Mikrokosmos (in fact, the etude was titled Bartoque in a sketch) and
demonstrates the typically obsessive quality of Ligeti with an incessant 3+2+3 ostinato repeated
no less than 208 times.
Unlike Ligeti, fellow countryman Franz Liszt wrote the Etudes d’exécution transcendante d’apres
Paganini (dedicated to Clara Schumann) for his own use in 1838. By transcribing the violin
virtuoso’s themes and brilliance to the piano, Liszt also succeeded in imitating the technical
problems that would be encountered by the violinist into similar difficulties for the pianist (such as
shifting from fast passagework immediately into chordal figures). Thirteen years later, Liszt
revised and simplified the original etudes into the version performed tonight (a similar
transformation took place from the Vingt-quatre grande etudes to the Etudes d’exécution
transcendante). In the later editions, Liszt tailored the etudes to produce greater clarity on the
modern piano while retaining their virtuosic character.
— Chenny Gan
Chenny Gan
piano
Graduate Recital
Friday, February 13, 2004
5:30 pm
Recital Hall, School of Music
Program
15 Variations and Fugue (“Eroica Variations”), Op. 35 Ludwig van Beethoven
(1770-1827)
13 Preludes, Op. 28 Frédéric Chopin
No. 1 in C Major — No. 23 in F Major (1810-1849)
No. 21 in B-flat Major — No. 8 in F-sharp minor
No.9 in E Major — No. 10 in C-sharp minor
No. 13 in F-sharp Major — No. 16 in B-flat minor
No. 19 in E-flat Major
No. 3 in G Major — No. 4 in E minor
No. 7 in A Major — No. 24 in D minor
Intermission
Two Etudes from Book I György Ligeti
Arc-en-ciel (b. 1923)
Fanfares
Two Paganini Etudes Franz Liszt
No. 2 in E-flat Major (1811-1886)
No. 6 in A minor
In partial fulfillment of the degree requirements for the
Master of Music in Performance
_____
The hall is equipped with a listening assistance system.
Patrons needing such assistance should contact an usher in the lobby.